Got a mini lathe but cant use it :((

In my last blog entry you may have remembered i asked what is a good mini lathe. I went down to mcquillans blanchards town today and got a Draper 07989 250W 230V Variable Speed Mini Wood Lathe, it has variable speed so i dont have to changed the pulleys, a revoling centre and a faceplate and it only cost €220 + mcquillans always give a 10% discount so it ended up costing only €198 which i think is a real bargain but my parents got it for me for christmas so i cant use it till then:(. I also got a few other cool things there today and i will post what i got tomorrow.

You’ve got a problem… How long is the warranty? It started running when you bought the lathe. Next Christmas when you start using it, what if it breaks and the part could be expensive to purchase and expensive to install. When I buy a new tool, I work it hard for the first few months to make sure it’s going to last. Especially the electrical parts. Good luck and I hope you get to start turning out Christmas presents for the family soon… If you have to wait till Christmas, you won’t have time to make bowls, rolling pins, and goblets for gifts.

A young lady from Limivady, NI once told me: “You didn’t kiss the Blarney Stone, you licked the bloody face off it!”

Stores usually have limited return for exchange or refund policy if product does not work. Date on receipt normally starts that warranty period. Not familiar with Draper brand, sounds like China lathe made for European market. Will look up after this post.

Parts & repair might turn out iffy!

Here in the U.S. can get Christmas-gift receipt as holiday nears which helps with exchanges, refunds and warranty periods. Would test run lathe before too long if do not have a gift receipt.

I agree with the warranty concern; I’d try talking the Wife into letting you set it up and try it out. Better to deal with any problems close to the purchase date than to wait. Heck, no guarantee the store will still be in business in 5 months.

Once your pretty sure it’s all in working order you can throw a sheet over it and not touch it again until Christmas. Better safe than sorry.